Boot Camp Schedule

Farm Futures Ag Finance Boot Camp 2023

Earn Your Financial Stripes

January 18, 2023

Registration: 7 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Sessions: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

8:00 - 8:10 A.M.

Welcome and overview for the day

Speaker:   Mike Wilson

8:10 - 9:00 A.M.

Earn your financial stripes

Speaker:  Ashley Arrington, Curt Covington, & Paul Neiffer

In good markets or bad, now is the time to set a course for rebuilding working capital, stabilizing and managing profits, and reviewing your farm's balance sheet equity. Our speakers offer an overview of the financial analysis skills you need to improve and unlock your competitive advantage in the business of
farming.

9:00 - 10:00 A.M.

Big money: Buying strategies in the age of high inflation and interest rates

Speaker:   Ashley Arrington  

Despite high interest rates and inflation, farmers still need to make purchases. And they need strategic advice on big ticket items like land and other fixed assets. Should you preserve cash or pay more down to avoid more costly interest rates? Should you forego your existing lower interest rate loan to dip into equity? This session will offer insights on how to better manage purchases in this inflationary era.

10:00 - 10:15 A.M.

Coffee Break

10:15 - 11:00 A.M.

The four key steps to better cost management

Speaker:   Curt Covington

How can you do a better job assessing and managing your costs? Curt takes you through the four steps, starting with improving your record keeping system, analyzing costs, and the tools needed to budget and compare against actual costs.

11:00 - 11:45 A.M.

How to Manage Your Deferred Tax Liability

Speaker:   Paul Neiffer

This session will provide an overview of deferred tax liability, how it is calculated, and what steps you can proactively take to minimize any future impact.

11:45 - 12:00 P.M.

Q&A

12:00 - 1:00 P.M.

Lunch

1:00 - 2:00 P.M.

Better strategies for working with your lender

Speaker: TBD

Go beyond the basics of loans and lines of credit with your banker. Learn how more sophisticated financial tools such as interest rate swaps and hedging, may help you manage risk and seize opportunities.

2:00 - 2:45 P.M.

How to monitor and use costs of production to inform marketing decisions and manage risks

Speaker:  Matt Bennett, Illinois farmer and market analyst

While many assume it’s easier to market at higher prices, the last few months have proven that’s not always the case, due to skyrocketing costs. In this session you will gain insights on how to market profitably and maximize return on investment for the farm. Put marketing plans together based on goals for profit margins, and how that process ebbs and flows through the growing season. 

2:45 - 3:00 P.M.

Wrap up and Q&A